KAUFMAN - "Or cramming in sex, or car chases, or guns. Or characters learning profound life lessons. Or characters growing or characters changing or characters learning to like each other or characters overcoming obstacles to succeed in the end. Y'know ? Movie shit."
Kaufman is sweating like crazy now. Valerie is quiet for a moment - from "Adaptation".
We are all about CINEMA. That movie shit.
NOTHING is sacred.
NOBODY is spared.
Because we talk about films, dammit.
Not your sex life.
Films, fests, unsung, indies, undiscovered - all that and some fun. If you have dope on anything related to cinema or you would like to share something, do write to us at moifightclub@gmail.com.
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भारत के मां, बाप, बेटे, बेटियों, शिक्षकों, छात्रों को एक खुली चिट्ठी
जिस स्कूल में मैं नर्सरी से 12वीं तक पढ़ा हूँ उसके कार्यवाहक व पृष्ठपोषक वह थे जिन्हें अाज राइट विंग, हिन्दु्त्ववादी या अाम भाषा में “संघी” कहा जायेगा. स्कूल की शिक्षाव्यवस्था का सनातन हिंदू संस्कृति से रिश्ता बहुत गहरा था. हमें हिंदी और संस्कृत काफ़ी ज़ोर देकर पढ़ाई गई.
स्कूल के वार्षिकोत्सव का अारम्भ गुरुवन्दना से होकर वादविवाद, सितार, गिटार-वादन, नुक्कड़-नाटक,संस्कृत काव्य पाठ, क़व्वाली और मुशायरा से गुज़र कर सरस्वती वंदना से समापन होता था. हमें सिखाया जाता था कि भारत दुनिया के उन महान समाजों में से है जिसमें सभी के लिए जगह है. पांचवी क्लास में ही मुझे ‘वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्’ का अर्थ ज्ञात था हमारे कड़क और एक किलो वज़नी थप्पड़ वाले संस्कृत सर की बदौलत. छठी क्लास तक मैंने गणित, भौतिकी, रसायन विज्ञान और जीव विज्ञान हिन्दी में पढ़ा. हमारे सोंधी खुशबू वाली स्कूल डायरी में गायत्री मंत्र, संस्कृत काव्य और गीता के चुने हुए हिस्से थे जो मुझे आज भी कंठस्थ हैं. इसके साथ-साथ हम वही इतिहास पढ़ते थे जिसे अब ‘लेफ़्टिस्ट’, ‘एलीटिस्ट’ और ‘स्युडो-सेक्युलर’ कहा जाने लगा है – जो भी उसका अर्थ हो. उसका कुछ कुछ अभी भी सच सा लगता है, और कुछ नहीं.
अंग्रेज़ी के वर्चस्व के इस ज़माने में आज भी हिंदी, संस्कृत और प्राचीन भारत पर मेरा (अधूरा) दखल देखकर मेरे दोस्तबाग इम्प्रेस हो जाते हैं। मैं अपने स्कूल का जितना भी शुक्रिया अदा करूँ कम होगा, जिसने तीन हजार सालों के मानव इतिहास को सहजता से समझने की योग्यता मुझे दी, साथ ही वक़्त के साथ चलना भी सिखाया. मैं जो भी हूँ, अपने उस स्कूल की वजह से हूँ. इसका गर्व है मुझे.
मुझे अाज तक कभी भी ऐसा नहीं लगा कि मेरे स्कूल की शिक्षा ग़लत है. एक बार भी हमें ये नहीं पढ़ाया गया कि भारत से प्यार करने के लिए किसी से से नफ़रत करने की ज़रूरत है. इसका गर्व है मुझे.
मेरे जैसे अनगिनत भारतीय अाज भारत के नागरिक हैं – जिन्हें अपने स्कूल या कालेज पे गर्व है.
भारत के अभिभावक, शिक्षक और छात्रगण, अब समय अा गया है एक निर्णय का – कि जिस दिन हमारे बच्चे पढ़ाई पूरी करके भविष्य के भारत में क़दम रखें तो उन्हें अपने स्कूल पे फ़ख्र होगा तो किस बात का होगा? कितना बड़ा प्लेग्राउन्ड या वी अाइ पी पार्किंग है उसकी? या कितने लाख की फीस है? या किस फिल्मस्टार का बेटा क्लासमेट है? या किस नेता का जिगरी चेयरमैन है?
या फिर अपने शिक्षकों का? हमारे संस्कृत सर, हमारी अंग्रेज़ी मैम, मेरे प्रिंसिपल सर और वो सभी शिक्षक जिनका हमने आदर किया, जिनसे डरे, जिन पर हम फ़िदा हुए, जिनके हम दीवाने रहे, जिनकी हमने पीठ पीछे नकल उतारी और जिन्होंने हमारे कान खींचे. इन शिक्षकों ने हमें केवल विद्या नहीं, जुनून भी दिया. सिर्फ पांच स्टेप्स मेँ सेट थियरी पैराडाॅक्स साबित करने का, या बिना सांस लिये एक मिनट तक रावण के शिवस्तोत्र की अावृत्ति का. मैं जिस प्रोफ़ेशनल इंस्टीट्यूट में गया वहाँ के पेड़ के नीचे बैठकर शिक्षकों ने हमें जुनून दिया छोटे भारतीय शहरों के लिए सस्ता और सेफ रिक्शा बनाने का, या सर्व भारतीय लोटे के अनूठे आकार पर फिदा होने का. हमे एक बार भी ये भनक न पड़ी हम राइट हैं या ले्फ्ट! मास हैँ या एलीटिस्ट!
कभी ऐसा नहीं लगा कि महान कुछ हो रहा है – कभी किसी शिक्षक ने हमें भारत से प्यार करने, देशभक्त बनने या देश की रक्षा करने के लिए नहीं कहा. लेकिन अब मालूम पड़ता है कि जब उन्होंने हमें ब्रह्मगुप्त के चतुर्भुज समीकरण, दिनकर की कविता, रस्किन बॉण्ड और मंटो की कहानियां, भारतीय मलमल की बारीक़ी, बंगाल के टेराकोटा टाइल की सुंदरता या लद्दाख में विश्व की सबसे ऊंची हवाई पट्टी के बारे में बताया और साहिर के फिल्मी गाने गाये, उन्होंने हमारे दिल में चुपके से हमें बताए बिना देशप्रेम की वह तीली लगा दी जो आज भी सुलग रही है.
उस अगन का सबूत नम्बर एक? करोड़ों भारतीय, जो अाज भी भारत में हर नाइन्साफी, मजबूरी, तकलीफ से जूझते हुऐ यहीं जी रहे हैं और जम के जी रहे हैं. सबूत नम्बर दो? वह लाखों भारतीय जो भारत के बाहर भारत के लिये तरसते हुए अपने केबल वाले से देसी चैनल के देने के मुद्दे पे रोज़ झगड़ते हैं!
भारत की शिक्षा अपने अाप में एक सीख है। हजारों वर्षों से भारत में अध्ययन-अध्यापन की बेजोड़ परंपरा रही है. इस परंपरा का केंद्र गुरु और शिष्य हैं. ये यूँ ही नहीं है कि द्रोण, कृप, कपिल, बुद्ध, महावीर, शंकर और नानक आज भी पौराणिक कथाओं और धर्मग्रंथों में हमारे बीच जीते हैं. ये अाखिरकार कुछ भी हों, सबसे पहले ये शिक्षक ही थे जिन्होंने शिष्यों के एक विशाल समूह को प्रेरित किया.
हमारे बचपन के शिक्षक हमें दूसरे भारतीयों के साथ भारत में रहना सिखाते थे। वह दूसरे भारतीय भी ऐसे स्कूल-कॉलेजों से पढ़कर आए थे जहाँ सहजता से निभाई जाने वाली भारतीयता सिखाई गई थी. हम रूड़की से पढ़कर पास होते और चेन्नई में काम करने जाते थे। पंजाबियों से भरी दिल्ली में रह रहे बंगाली लड़के का बेस्टफ्रेंड एक गुजराती लड़का बन जाता था. किसी ऐसे राज्य में जहां कभी नहीं गए वहां के इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज में भर्ती होने से पहले हम एकबार भी नहीं सोचते थे. कोइ ऐसा हाॅस्टल जहां एक समुदाय गिनती में भारी हो हमे कभी इतना त्रास न देता था जितना अब देता है। क्या बदल गया फिर?
आज बहुत सारे कारनामे हो रहे हैं जिनको सही ठहराने के लिए हमारी प्राचीन परंपरा का उल्लेख किया जाता है.अगर हम केवल शिक्षापरंपरा का उल्लेख करें तो तर्क, युक्ति, सवाल जवाब, डिबेट – इनके बिना वह परंपरा गूंगी गुड़िया रह जाती है जिसके साथ केवल खेल खेला जाता हो। भारत का सबसे पुराना सिलेबस है – वाद और विवाद। भारत की सबसे पुरानी “कोर्सबुक” वेद के सबसे जियाले, रोंगटे खड़े कर देने वाले श्लोक – वह बस सवाल हैं और कुछ नहीं! उपनिषद्, दर्शन, मीमांसा – कहीं भी देखें – वे गुरु और शिष्य के बीच प्रश्नोत्तर के रूप में किए गए संवाद हैं.
सही शिक्षक हमें सही राह दिखाता है. सही रास्ता वही दिखा सकता है जिसे खुद सही रास्ता दिखता हो. विश्व का सबसे प्रतिभाशाली चित्रकार व्याकरण सिखाने में अव्वल फेल होगा! और देशप्रेम का पाठ फिल्ममेकिंग या गणित पढ़ाते हुए बखूबी पढ़ाया जा सकता है, बशर्ते उस गुरू को फिल्म मेकिंग या गणित से प्रेम हो! . इसके लिए देशभक्ति के अलग सिलेबस की जरूरत नहीं है। क्योंकि ये सिलेबस अक्सर वही लोग बनाते हैं जिन्हे अपना उल्लू सीधा करने कि लिये अापके मासूम बच्चे की दरकार है बतौर रिक्रूट।
भारत के अभिभावकों और छात्रों, हमें दिखाने की जरूरत है कि हम अपने देश से उन लोगों के मुक़ाबले ज़्यादा प्यार करते हैं जो देशप्रेम की लवस्टोरी मैं अकेले हीरो बन रहे हैं.
जिस भारत से हम प्यार करते हैं वह मस्त, मुस्कुराता, रंग-बिरंगा, अच्छे खाने की खुशबू से महकता, अच्छे संगीत में झूमता, शरारती लेकिन होशियार बच्चों से भरे क्लासरूम वाला भारत है। उस क्लासरूम में जहां हमारी सिखणी मां और हमारे खोजा पापा पहली बार मिले थे! वो होस्टल जहां नवरात्रा के डान्डिया रास के बाद हम सारी रातजागकर पढते थे! क्या करते – सिलेबस ही इतना प्यारा था!
जिस भारत से हम प्यार करते हैं वह ऐसे शिक्षकों का देश है जो तार तार माहवार पर मीलों चलकर बच्चों को वर्णमाला सिखाते हैं, या नौजवानों को खराद मशीन चलाना या होनहार बच्चियों को पहाड़ लांघना.
जिस भारत से हम प्यार करते हैं वह ऐसे शिक्षकों, शिक्षाविदों, लेखकों, कवियों और गायकों का है जिन्होंने अपनी किताबों, गीतों, कहानियों और कविताओं के जरिए भारतीय छात्रों को दुनिया के हर कोने में पहचान दिलाई है. ये पहचान हम खो बैठे तो हमें कोई नहीं पूछेगा!
जिस भारत से हम प्यार करते हैं वह ऐसे बहुत से संस्थानों से भरा है जो छात्रों को देशप्रेम का दावा करना सिखाए बिना, उन्हें बैंकिग, जेनेटिक रिसर्च, फैशन डिज़ाइन, सांख्यिकी में अव्वल बनाते हैं और वह छात्र देश का नाम रौशन करते हैं।
जिस भारत से हम प्यार करते हैं, उसके अभिभावकों और छात्रों को अधिकार है कि वे खुद निर्णय लैं वे क्या सिलेबस सीखना चाहते हैं और कैसे. यदि कोई ऐसा कॉलेज या स्कूल हो जहां वे जा सकें, इसका मतलब है कि हमारी सारी ग़लतियों, तनावों, गरीबी और असमानता के बावजूद हम सही रास्ते पर हैं.
अाज डर ये है कि हम ये अधिकार खो देंगे. भारत के अभिभावकों और छात्रों, मैं आपसे कहता हूँ कि आप अपनी चुप्पी तोड़ें और बोलना शुरू करें। क्योंकि जब अरसे से चुप बैठा कोई बोलता है तो दुनिया सुनती है.
After writers and scientists, filmmakers have joined the protest in raising their voice against the murders of rationalist author MM Kalburgi, activist Govind Pansare, and in support of FTII students. The 10 filmmakers include Anand Patwardhan, Dibakar Banerjee, Nishtha Jain, Paresh Kamdar, Kriti Nakhwa, Harshvardhan Kulkarni, Hari Nair, Rakesh Sharma, Indraneel Lahiri and Lipika Singh Darai.
And here’s the full text of their letter to the President and PM.
To,
The President and the Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
It is with a deep sense of dismay that we write to you. Many of the undersigned had written a letter to you barely a month ago in support of the demands of the students of FTII. We had urged you to intervene and ensure that FTII continues to be a stellar educational institution with a commitment to freedom of expression.
The student strike has entered the 4th month. The issue remains unresolved and our sense of apprehension about the fate of the institute has only grown. We have seen the students conduct their protest in a democratic manner with utmost dignity. We have also seen an attack on their credibility mounted in the most disgraceful manner in the press by the very people who were meant to be their guardians on campus- the director and the registrar. The ministry has seemingly offered a patient hearing to the students no less than 5 times over 4 months yet have made no attempt to put into place a transparent process to make key appointments to the people who are meant to give vision to the institute. They have expressed an inability to reverse the process that provoked this strike. We see this as a blatant disregard for the voice of these students.
It has also become imperative that we see the government’s stone walling of the students’ protest in a context. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has appointed people with a narrow vision in the institutions under them. FTII, Children’s Film Society and CBFC are examples that the film fraternity has objected to.
Meanwhile, we have watched the murders of rationalists and writers like Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M.M.Kalburgi with dismay. These are clearly not random acts of violence. People are being murdered for their beliefs and opinions. There seems to be no attempt to unravel the larger picture and bring to book extremist groups that believe in ruthless violence to eliminate those who hold a counter view from theirs. There has been no official condemnation of these groups and we question this silence.
The lynching and murder of an ironsmith, Mohammed Akhlaq, in a village at the edge of our national capital has shattered our faith in the spirit of tolerance that is the core of our robust democracy. The mob that stood at this poor Muslim man’s house had been empowered by the belief that this was an acceptable way to express rage. The current climate has validated this sentiment. Those who stand outside the circle drawn by the ruling elite are vulnerable in the most appalling manner. It has now come to light that members of the party that rule at the Centre led the mob. It is imperative that we take note of the impunity with which the mob was instigated. No condemnation is complete without naming the politically powerful who scripted this attack.
We are filmmakers who have been awarded by your most esteemed office. We hold that to be a high honour. Our cinema represents a rich diversity of political opinions and aesthetic expression. It was a matter of great pride for us that the government of India had awarded this plurality. If we do not stand up and register our protest now we are in the danger of being a part of the process that is flattening out our beautiful landscape of diversity. Freedom of expression are not mere words for us, it is a way of life we hold dear. Each life led differently from the mainstream is precious, we must fight for this right to pray, eat, love, work as we wish.
We feel compelled to return the honour that the State had bestowed on us. This is not an attempt to undermine your office but a heartfelt plea. Condoling deaths without interrogating the forces that scripted those murders reveals a tacit acceptance of the ugly forces distorting our country. The Government of India must urgently reveal its commitment to protect the freedom of expression of each citizen. We, the undersigned, stand alongside the writers who have returned the country’s highest literary honour and hereby return our National Awards. As filmmakers we stand firmly with the students of FTII and are determined to not let them shoulder the entire burden of their protests. They have mounted a historic struggle and we urge others within our fraternity to come forward and carry this protest forward.
6. Harshavardhan Kulkarni
Film: Lost & Found (2008)
7. Hari Nair
Film: Sham’s Vision (1997)
8. Rakesh Sharma
Film: Final Solution (2006)
9. Indraneel Lahiri
Film: Aamar Katha, Story of Binodini (2014)
10. Lipika Singh Darai
Film: Gaarud (2009)
Film: Eka Gachha Eka Mainsha Eka Samudra ( a tree a man a sea) (2012)
Film: Kankee O Saapo ( dragonfly and snake) (2013)
It’s one of the most awaited films of the year. And in an interesting promotional strategy, the makers of ‘Titli’ have roped in Anurag Kashyap to introduce the cast and crew of the film. The first video has Kashyap and Dibakar taking about the state of our films, their careers, and producing films. In the second video, Kanu joins them. And then the cast and crew talk about making the film in different videos. Do watch.
Dibakar Banerjee has always got the love of cinephiles and reviewers, starting from his debut feature Khosla Ka Ghosla. But his latest one seems to be on the middle ground. Same with the reviews. And if the film left you unsatisfied (or satisfied) and you got a question for Dibakar, here’s an event that you must attend.
If you have been following the blog regularly, we are guessing you know the routine. Just buy the ticket and wait after the film is over. And such interactions with filmmakers are not only fun but great learning experience too that gives you a peek into the thought process that has gone behind the film. We are lucky that more filmmakers are open to this idea now.
Details :
Venue – PVR ECX, Citi Mall, Andheri West. (NOT the Juhu one)
When there is no competition, you generally don’t get good products, because sooner or later, producers of those products would hallucinate and think they are Gods, and their consumers are insignificant. This theory fits perfectly when we think of film music in our country. If you don’t believe me, try to remind yourself of 5 film albums which you liked last year. Got my drift?
We live in times when everything should make money for the makers. Music has to be catchy enough for caller tune. Who cares if people forget about the music 3 days after the promos end! Last year, it was Haider, a music album that enveloped the feel of the film and not compromising with the melody in the process. The first quarter of this year has ended and Dibakar Banerjee has given us Detective Byomkesh Bakshy.
The album starts with immensely talented Madboy/Mink jiving on Calcutta kiss. I don’t know about you but I never thought we will witness such vibrancy and joie de vivre in a film song. The song kicks it and does a kick ass job at it. It has a deliciously flirtatious vibe, and my God, it is amazing! Saba Azad is a Goddess and I love the way she economizes her vocal spend on Hindi film songs. A wise man told me long time back that Sneha Khanwalkar might create good sound but she has a long way to go for making a melodious song that sticks in your head. Now I don’t know how they will use all songs in the film, but if used well, I challenge you to come out of the hall and not have ‘Bach ke bakshy…tu jhoootha hai makkaar‘ playing in your head. With this song, Sneha builds a villa on the already cemented spot that she occupies – one of the few, very few good musicians of our times whose songs will outlive us all and future generations will try unsuccessfully to find out the ‘formula’ behind the varied sounds she produced in her lifetime. I don’t know Sneha but I would love to know the questions she asks the maker when she is given the brief on the song that she has to make for a particular film. She gets it right every time!. Double pat to the lyricists of the song (Sneha and Dibakar, we are told)…whoever came up with beh gaya jo khoon uska kya blood type hai?!! The ‘bach ke bakshy tu jhootha hai makkar‘ has the same deadness to it, which some of us would remember experiencing when we heard kiley ka rahasya‘s title song.
I have always had a bone to pick with the non-film music scene in India, which has more often than not tried hard to bollywoodize itself to get validation (read recognition and money). The almost disgusting attempts at aping our innovative and rich neighbors’ music scene have failed because we try to put a bollywood touch to everything, and the sound gets hijacked. In comes ‘Byomkesh in love‘, and you feel not everything is wrong after all. The song has been fused well and in spite of English words in between, you will surely smile at the thumri-sque complaints of the singer asking her beloved to stay with the ‘other’ woman. The only other time it was done so beautifully was when Ram Sampath created this beautiful song. That was 13 years ago. In spite of somewhat average lyrics, what will arrest your attention in ‘jaanam’ is the tripping Synth arrangement in the song. Suryakant Sawhney does a great job at giving us a retro but not dated love song.
There was a time when to make your film song ‘hep’, you had to have a song from Suraj Jagan. It worked but not totally, may be because the songs always wanted mass acceptance from Bollywood music lovers who are overfed with silly items songs and template of rondu-rotlu songs. Thankfully ‘Life’s a bitch’ by Akshay De is NOT at all like that. The song doesn’t try to pander to ‘General population’ and keeps the death metal ( is it?) feel alive. Akshay de is angry and his rough (yet never out of tune) singing makes it up for a song which you will either love, like I do or hate! Nothing grey here. Chase in Chinatown marched passed all of us in the first trailer of the film. The music and the mood of this track is elevated a great deal by Vyshnav Balasubramaniam. The rap is rough and much like ‘life’s a bitch’ this might not be everyone’s cup of tea but the track is trippy and one that fits the stealthy title to the T. Yang Guang Lives – is a meandering track that has interesting sound to it. IJA has created this more like a background score with occasional commentary. Thanks to the superb pace of the entire O.S.T., this track might wear you out because it breaks off a lot in between. It won’t be wrong to conclude that the track is more a film piece than a song piece. That said, the track will give multiple orgasms to bass junkies.
Dibakar got 7 composers to make 7 songs. I am not the most vocal advocate of bringing hajaar composers in one O.S.T because I feel that the sound of the film gets compromised and doesn’t stay uniform. Thankfully, it is not the case here. For all we know, Dibakar would do a ‘kahaani’ and not include any song in the film. Even then, every note that you encounter in this album wraps itself around the feel of the film so well that it makes you want to see the film immediately!
We dont know what the film has in store for us. All we have got so far is just an eerie anticipation of something sinister which is about to unfold and the music just enhances that feeling. I cannot ask for anything more from an O.S.T..
Super like!
Let us know which song worked for you and which one didn’t.
Kanu Behl’s Titli is all set to premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. And the makers have just released the poster and the first trailer of the film. It looks so intense, and so unlike any other YRF film ever. Have a look.
And here’s the Offficial Synopsis –
In the badlands of Delhi’s dystopic underbelly, Titli, the youngest member of a violent car-jacking brotherhood plots a desperate bid to escape the ‘family’ business.
His struggle to do so is countered at each stage by his indignant brothers, who finally try marrying him off to ‘settle’ him.
Titli, finds an unlikely ally in his new wife, caught though she is in her own web of warped reality and dysfunctional dreams. They form a strange, beneficial partnership, only to confront their inability to escape the bindings of their family roots. But is escape, the same as freedom?
Cast and Crew
Directed by: Kanu Behl
Produced by: Dibakar Banerjee and Yashraj Films
Music by: Karan Gour
Written by: Sharat Katariya & Kanu Behl
– Starring Ranveer Shorey, Amit Sial and introducing Shashank Arora
– Earlier Varun Grover wrote about Titli in this post.
Time to say we told you so. Here – where we wrote that we are going to hear a lot about Kanu Behl’s Titli in the coming days. And much before anyone else, it was our Varun Grover who saw the film at Goa’s Film Bazaar, wrote about it’s brilliance and predicted that the film has all the potential to travel far. He got this one bang right.
So here’s the big news – Kanu Behl’s debut feature Titli has been selected for this year’s Cannes and will premiere in Un Certain Regard section.
Produced by Dibakar Banerjee Productions and Yash Raj Films, Titli features Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial and newcomer Shashank Arora in lead roles. And here’s the official synopsis of the film –
In the badlands of Delhi’s dystopic underbelly, Titli, the youngest member of a violent car-jacking brotherhood plots a desperate bid to escape the ‘family’ business.
His struggle to do so is countered at each stage by his indignant brothers, who finally try marrying him off to ‘settle’ him.
Titli, finds an unlikely ally in his new wife, caught though she is in her own web of warped reality and dysfunctional dreams. They form a strange, beneficial partnership, only to confront their inability to escape the bindings of their family roots. But is escape, the same as freedom?
Kanu is an almunus of SRFTI, worked with Dibakar Banerjee on Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, and co-wrote Love, Sex Aur Dhokha.
Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan and Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely had premiered in the same section of Cannes.
And this is what Varun Grover wrote about the film in our year-end post –
The best Indian film I saw this year, and hopefully the whole of world will see soon, is Kanu Behl’s ‘Titli’. Seeing it on a desktop computer in IFFI, Goa’s ‘viewing room’ should be counted as an underwhelming, far from ideal setting, and still, this very dark very funny very depressing dastaavez on patriarchy BLEW ME AWAY like nothing this year. Stunning is the word. Breathless is another. Writing so sharp (Kanu Behl and Sharat Kataria co-wrote it) and performances so bang-on, not to mention excellent edgy-gritty cinematography (Siddharth Dewan), this is our best bet for world cinema honors next year.
The film has been on our radar since its early buzz at Film Bazaar in Goa. And if our sources are to be believed, we are going to hear a lot about this film in the coming days. Keep watching this space.
As Yashraj Film revealed their slate for 2014, they have also given out the official synopsis of Titli –
In the badlands of Delhi’s dystopic underbelly, Titli, the youngest member of a violent car-jacking brotherhood plots a desperate bid to escape the ‘family’ business.
His struggle to do so is countered at each stage by his indignant brothers, who finally try marrying him off to ‘settle’ him.
Titli, finds an unlikely ally in his new wife, caught though she is in her own web of warped reality and dysfunctional dreams. They form a strange, beneficial partnership, only to confront their inability to escape the bindings of their family roots. But is escape, the same as freedom?
Starring Ranveer Shorey, Amit Sial and introducing Shashank Arora Directed by Kanu Behl and Produced by Dibakar Banerjee
– Earlier Varun Grover wrote about Titli in this post.
Bombay Talkies has released in the theatres. And so far the unanimous verdict is that Dibakar Banerjee’s short Star is easily the best out of the lot. Click here to read what we thought about the other short films and do vote for your favourites.
Back to Dibakar’s. It’s based on a short story by Satyajit Ray titled Patol Babu Filmstar. Though the basic idea is the same Dibakar has added many new elements to it and given it a new setting too. Do read.
Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap – four filmmakers with distinct signature style of filmmaking. So it’s interesting that a film like Bombay Talkies managed to bring them together. Though the occasion is 100 years of Indian cinema, all four shorts don’t have a strong cinema connect.
Interestingly, we also have got four writers to write about these four films. Read the post, watch the films and do vote for your favourite short in our poll.
Of the four shorts in Bombay Talkies, I was most interested in Karan Johar’s film. One couldn’t quite tell what it is about beyond the fact that there is a troubled marriage in an urban setting (between Rani and Randeep) and a blossoming friendship (between Rani and Saqib) that perhaps gets the plot rolling. Also, there was a delicous sense of irony in the fact that in an anthology including films by Anurag, Zoya and Dibakar, it was K-Jo’s that seemed like the most dark and bleak!
What Karan has delivered in Bombay Talkies is something I did not expect (and I’m sure no one did). And with unexpected elan as well! Not just daring and bold, but equally graceful and poised- this is a Karan Johar you haven’t seen before. Or maybe he always had this in him but was waiting for the right time and a film where he did not have to wear the producer’s hat. I won’t reveal the plot of the film here (even though soon people would be talking about it) but when a filmmaker like Karan Johar makes a film like this, it isn’t just a film, it’s a massive statement. A few glass ceilings have been instantly shattered in a snap.
But let’s give Karan Johar, the guy everyone is probably looking at as the dark horse black sheep among these four, credit for more than just audaciousness. Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh grabs you by thecollar and jolts you in its very first scene. But it instantly and nonchalantly moves on. This isn’t a Madhur Bhandarkar ‘shockfest’ or a film about ‘issues’.
What you get is an astutely made relationship drama- funny, candid, empathetic and in the end, wonderfully poignant. As I thought of the film later, I also appreciated how economically and smoothly it moved, everything is established so quickly and well. The characters are all flawed; there are no judgments made, no quick answers given, no simple resolutions. Apart from the odd cornball line in the beginning (‘Gale mein mangalsutra, aakhon mein kamasutra!‘- and that too from an intern to his boss!) the dialogue is smart and well written. And yes, no clumsy melodrama either. Maybe it’s the effect of shooting in ‘real’ locations! 😉
The performances are excellent and fearless. After trying too hard in NOKJ & Aiyaa, Rani Mukerji is back to doing what she does best- in Talaash, and now this. She is raw and wonderful, and the camera doesn’t look away from the love handles pouring out of her blouse or the freckles on her face. This is the sexiest and most beautiful she has looked in a long time. Saqib has cocky charm, but also a heart-breaking vulnerability. This is a role few young actors with Bollywood-Hero aspirations would take on. And Randeep Hooda surprises with a superbly reined-in performance, emotions carefully simmering under the surface.
As tempting as it is to discuss the story, I’d prefer to let everyone discover it on their own and react. This is surely going to be the most talked-about film of the four. And bagging second place in such illustrious company is no mean feat either. So many good directors stumble when it comes to short films- and well, here we have a filmmaker who’s so often reviled and not exactly known for brevity- making such a terrific one.
Mr Johar, you had my attention, now you have my curiosity. I’m curious to see where you go from here. You’ve taken the big leap, now don’t stop.
PS: You’ll be humming the ‘title song’ for a long, long time after the film. 🙂
अगस्त 2011. हम रेखा झा से पटना में मिले थे. उन्होंने ‘गैंग्स ऑफ़ वासेपुर’ में ‘वुमनिया’ गीत गाया था. वो एक और गाने (तार बिजली) में कोरस की लड़कियों वाले ग्रुप में आई थीं. स्नेहा खानवलकर को उनकी आवाज़ अच्छी लगी और उन्हें अलग से पूरा गाना मिल गया. वापसी के समय उनके पति (झा बाबू) मुझे अपनी टैक्सी में छोड़ने आये. उनका पटना में ही भाड़े की टैक्सी का बिजनेस है. रास्ते में उन्होंने बताया कि वो १९९०/९१ के आस-पास एक बार बंबई आये थे; हीरो बनने. “उस समय अगर कोई हमको बोल देता कि दस मंजिल से कूद जाओ और हम तुम्हें हीरो बना देंगे तो हम कूद जाते.” मैंने पूछा “तो किसी ने बोला क्या?” उन्होंने बताया काफी दिन बंबई में भटकने के बाद उन्हें एक जुगाड़ मिला. बाज़ीगर की शूट चल रही थी…लोनावला साइड कहीं पे. वो वहां पहुँच गए और यही ताव (कूद जायेंगे वाला) सब प्रोडक्शन वालों को सुनाने लगे. एक ने कह दिया, यह नदी है सामने छोटी सी, इसको तैर के पार कर लो तो किसी एक सीन में हीरो के अगल-बगल कहीं खड़े होने को मिल जाएगा. जनाब कूद गए. तैरना नहीं आता था, फिर भी कूद गए. किसी और को उन्हें पकड़ के निकालना पड़ा. झा बाबू के मुताबिक़ उनकी इस हिम्मत को देखकर सेट पर मौजूद (वीनस वाले) रतन जैन का दिल पिघल गया और उन्होंने झा जी को एक हफ्ते बाद बंबई में अपने दफ्तर बुलाया. झा जी एक हफ्ते तक सडकों पर रहे, बस स्टाप पर सोये, पर रतन जैन से मिलने का दिन आने से पहले ही उनका सारा सामान, जिसमें रतन जैन के दफ्तर का पता भी था, चोरी हो गया. उन्हें वापस पटना लौटना पड़ा. हमेशा के लिए.
कट टू – जनवरी 2013. एक अवार्ड फंक्शन में रेखा झा वुमनिया के लिए nominate हुयीं. झा जी भी उनके साथ बंबई आये. यशराज स्टूडियो के अन्दर बैठ के उस दुनिया को देखा जिसके लिए वो कूद जाना चाहते थे. मुझे सुपरमैन ऑफ़ मालेगांव के शायर फरोग़ जाफरी याद आ गए. (“मैं कब से बंबई की तरफ चल रहा हूँ. मालेगांव से बंबई बस एक रात का सफ़र है. पर ये रात ख़त्म नहीं होती.”) झा जी की छलांग भी 22-साल तक लगती ही रही.
कट टू – मई 2013. दिबाकर बनर्जी की फिल्म ‘स्टार’ में पुरंदर (नवाज़ुद्दीन सिद्दीकी, हमेशा की तरह बवाल) भी ऐसी ही एक छलांग के बीच में कहीं है. और पुरंदर की छलांग इतनी सीधी भी नहीं है. वो कई दिशाओं में कूद रहा है. या हवा में कहीं बीच में लटक रहा है. दिबाकर बनर्जी की हर अच्छी फिल्म की हर खासियत इस २०-२५ मिनट की फिल्म में मिल जायेगी – बहुत ही कडुवा सा sense of humor; social issues पर एक तीखी नज़र; खतरनाक casting (हमारे drunk-शायर और असल ज़िन्दगी में बहुत ही sincere, assistant director कार्तिक कृष्णन का इस से अच्छा इस्तेमाल नहीं हो सकता था, नवाज़ की पत्नी के रोल में एक गज़ब की नयी एक्टर (sorry नाम नहीं देख पाया end credits के गीले कचरे से भी बदतर गाने के चक्कर में), और सदाशिव अमरापुरकर की धांसू वापसी); कहने को एक बहुत ही गहरी बात; और एक गांड-फाड opening scene.
बल्कि अगर दिबाकर की फिल्मों का एक सबसे बड़ा recurring structural-motif ढूँढा जाए तो वो यही होगा कि उनकी हर फिल्म का पहला सीन पूरी फिल्म का सार होता है. और अपने आप में एक complete short-film भी. LSD में short-film या meta-film का element deliberately बहुत साफ़ था, लेकिन बाकी हर फिल्म में (‘ओये लक्की..’ में तो बहुत ही गज़ब तरह से) पहले सीन को लिखने की मेहनत साफ़ दिखती है. Shanghai पर हज़ार debate हुए कि फिल्म किसके बारे में थी लेकिन दिबाकर के motif से जाएँ तो फिल्म का पहला सीन साफ़ कर देता है कि फिल्म मामा और भग्गू के बारे में ही थी.
और ‘स्टार’ का पहला सीन ‘ओये लक्की’ की टक्कर का है. बस उनके पिछले काम से काफी अलग, (के.के. के शब्द) “फुल बंगाली सिनेमा है रे!” और सिर्फ पहला सीन ही नहीं, क्योंकि पूरी फिल्म सत्यजित रे की लघु कथा ‘पोटोल बाबू फिल्म स्टार’ से है, तो बहुत जगह रे की छाप साफ़ दिखती है. (मुझे एक जगह ‘नायक’ दिखी और एक जगह ‘महानगर’. और एक जगह एक जानवर में रे बाबू की २-३ लघु कथाएँ.)
फिल्म के बारे में कोई spoilers नहीं लिख रहा. लेकिन बस इतना ही कि Bombay Talkies की चारों फिल्मों का पैसा मेरे लिए इस अकेली में ही वसूल हो गया. (करण जोहर की फिल्म भी शानदार लगी वैसे.) नवाज़, दिबाकर बनर्जी, और सत्यजित रे – इससे आगे कोई क्या मांगेगा?
Update: अभी अभी एक जुगाड़ से नवाज़ की पत्नी का रोल करने वाली एक्टर का नाम पता चल गया. मराठी थियेटर की एक्टर – शुभांगी भुजबल. और ये भी पता चला कि वो खुद ऐसी ही एक चाल में पली-बढ़ी जैसी फिल्म में दिखाई गयी है.
(If you have difficulty reading it in Hindi, scroll down and read its English transalation)
It’s more Taare Zameen Par than Pankh. The 6 yr old’s desires stifled by the ‘Sharma ji’ type moochad father with shades of Naseer-Ishan Nair (the fat dancing kid from Monsoon Wedding) conflict. मेरे-Parents-चाहते-हैं-मैं-आम-खाऊँ-जबकि-मुझे-केले-पसंद-हैं is the dillema/drama. The sexuality theme is not explored (or maybe I’m reading too much into it).
The film stealthily enters the kid(s) world and takes you along. Not the most ‘fresh’ stories but again very well done, non-melodramatic realistic treatment by Zoya Akhtar (with Excel Ent Production Design from LBC not Rock On). The casting of the kids and mom is spot on. And the relationship between the siblings could’ve been autobiographical, which is probably why it is so heart tugging despite being no Children of Heaven. They help each other out in the ‘trying circumstances’ and unlike the एक दूसरे की चुगली करने वाले बच्चे, would probably be best ‘friends for life’. The message of the film is not so much ‘Follow Your Dreams’ but more ‘Follow Your Dreams लेकिन शान्पट्टी से’. Slightly underwhelming coming from Zoya Akhtar but it seems her most ‘personal’ film (like KJo’s and AK’s short films). ‘शुरू होते ही ख़त्म हो जाती है’, ‘3rd Act है ही नही, setup ही setup है’ were the common refrain but the climactic performance with the arresting cutaways is itself worth the price of ticket itself.
The pillow conversations at night between the siblings took me back to my childhood days, and that’s why may be I’m being a little too lenient unlike rest. ‘मानता हूँ Cliche है Sir लेकिन Conviction से किया जाए तो आज भी work करता है !’
P.S – An aside – On the occasion of 100 yrs of Indian cinema celebration – here are two of the most brilliant kids performances in recent cinematic history for you – this & this.
Twice during the film, I was reminded of this funny inimitable character from my childhood. There was a short period of time, when we used to get dabbawala food at home in Banaras (Yes! there are dabbawalas in Banaras too). That man had a wild imagination. From the stories about owning the golden temple land to getting his mobile phone repaired in 2 lakhs (back in 2000! well, that sounds ridiculous even now), there was no end to his cock-and-bull stories, and there was a new किस्सा everyday.
The sequence where Vijay is regaling his fellow travelers in the train reminded me of many such characters from Banaras. जैसे दिल्ली में गाली देना सच में गाली देना नहीं होता, वैसे ही पूर्वांचल में गप्प मारना झूठ बोलना नहीं होता। Another one from a train journey is that of a group biharis…I remember looking at my brother and suppressing a giggle when one of the men said “ये बहुत संघर्शेबुल (sangharsh-able) हैं “. ऐसी बहुत सी सुनी-सुनाई कहानियां हैं अपने यहाँ के amazing गप्पी लोगों की, जो याद करके भी हँसी आ जाती है. Anyway, the point here being that the film captures that character and that space very well. For me, this was the best part of the film.
The film is about a young man traveling from Allahabad to Mumbai to meet Amitabh Bachchan so that he can offer the superstar a piece of Murabba that his mother has made. This is his father’s “last wish”. As far as the theme of celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema goes, among all four shorts, this film comes closest to capture the passionate frenzy that bollywood has created among the masses over the years. As usual Kashyap get the milieu right but the punchline is not strong enough to make you fall in love with the film. Unfortunately the film goes downhill as soon as Mr. Bachchan makes an appearance. There are moments that made me nostalgic and made me chuckle but overall the film was a bit of a disappointment. But inspite of all the shortcomings, I am sure all the fanboys/girls out there who have done crazy things for the stars they love, will connect to the film.
PS: The other thing that I noticed is that when Vijay’s father asked him where he was, Vijay replies “मेल में थे”. The people in and around Allahanad always call the kumbh mela as just “mela” whereas it is the outsider (mostly the पढ़ा – लिखा वर्ग) that always calls in “kumbh” or “kumbh mela”. Full marks to AK for that.
*****
The film ends with an atrocious music video which seems to be have been produced on MS Paint. Though the initial montage of yesteryear actors make it look slightly better. As a friend pointed out, wish they had just used the opening credits of Luck By Chance in the end credits here. That would have been enough.
And do vote for your favourite short. You can vote for 2 films.
UPDATE – 3rd May, 2013
(Since many people have been asking for English translation of Varun’s post on Star, here it is. We still suggest that you try in Hindi first, Do “Control +”, make the font bigger and it becomes easy. If not, here you go)
August 2011. We met Rekha Jha in Patna. She would sing ‘Womaniya’ for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ a few days later. She was part of the group of girls we had called for chorus singing in ‘Taar Bijli Se’ song. Sneha Khanwalkar liked her voice so much that she got offered a full song to herself. On my way back from Patna, her husband (Jha babu) dropped me to the airport in his taxi. He has a small taxi-rental business in Patna. He started talking and told me ‘I had gone to Bombay sometime in 1990/91; to become a hero. If at that time, somebody had told me to jump from a 10-storeyed building to get a role in films, I’d have done that.’ I asked – ‘So did somebody say that to you?’ He said after wasting many days in Bombay, he somehow landed one contact which took him to the film shoot of ‘Baazigar’ in Lonavla or around. On the sets of Baazigar, he again started bragging that he can jump from a building to get a role, and some production hand dared him to cross the small river nearby. He promised Jha Babu a role (of being in the same frame as the film’s hero) if he finished the swim across the river. Jha babu jumped in the river without a thought. He didn’t know how to swim, but jumped anyway. He had to be rescued by some locals else he was sure to drown. Seeing the commotion and young man’s stupid desperation, Ratan Jain (Tips owner) was impressed. He gave Jha babu his card and asked him to come over at the Bombay office a week later. The whole coming week Jha ji spent on the roads, sleeping on bus stops, but before the big day arrived his whole luggage including the address of Ratan Jain was stolen. He returned back home to Patna, never to attempt his Bombay dreams again.
Cut to: January 2013. An award function nominated Rekha Jha for singing ‘Womaniya’. Jha babu came with her to Bombay, first time since he left it in 1991. Sitting inside Yashraj Studios, he finally saw the unreal world he wanted to jump from a high-rise for, up-close and live. I was reminded of Farogue Jafari, the poet and writer of/from Supermen of Malegaon – “Main kab se Bombay ki taraf chal raha hoon. Malegaon se Bombay bas ek raat ka safar hai. Par ye raat khatam nahin hoti.” (I have been walking towards Bombay for a long time. Malegaon to Bombay is just an overnight journey. But this night is too long.) Jha babu’s jump also lasted for 22-years.
Cut to: May 2013. Purandar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui, terrific as always) in Dibakar Banerjee’s segment ‘Star’ is also in the middle of one such night/jump. But Purandar’s jump is not so simple. He is jumping in many directions simultaneously. Or may be he just thinks he is jumping while being magically, depressingly hanging static mid-air, like a cartoon dog from Tom and Jerry. The 25 minute film has all the best elements of all the good Dibakar Banerjee films. A very wry sense of humor, a sharp comment on social issues (right from the very first scene that stays on long enough for you to attempt decode its meaning), pitch-perfect casting (our drunk-shaayar and a sincere assistant director Kartik Krishnan couldn’t have been cast in a better role, the lady playing Nawaz’s wife Shubhangi Bhujbal is a gem of a find from Marathi theatre though her name gets drowned in that horribly composed and shot end-credits song, and Sadashiv Amrapurkar’s comeback to cinema alone is worthy enough for this film to be made), a new world to explore, and a kick-ass opening scene – all DB strengths are at their top-game in ‘Star’.
In fact, a recurring structural-motif of DB’s films has been a meta-film like opening scene that has the sly-synopsis and tone of the entire film you’re going to watch. If you go back to any of his film after finishing it, and watch the opening scene again, you’ll be surprised by the number of hidden-meanings it contained. LSD had the short-film/meta-film element deliberately carved out but even the rest of his films have a masterful opening scene (OLLO has the strongest one). Shanghai generated many debates, chief among them was who the film ACTUALLY is about, and going by this motif the opening scene of the film clearly says that the film is about Bhaggu and Mama, the two ‘killers’.
And the first scene in ‘Star’ is as powerful and poetic as Dibakar has ever written/shot. Though in a different league/tone altogether (as Kartik Krishnan said ‘Full Bengali cinema hai re!’). And not just the opening scene, the entire film bears a noticeable stamp of Satyajit Ray as the screenplay is adapted from a Satyajit ray short-story (“Potol Babu Film Star”). I could spot a hat-tip to ‘Nayak’ (appearance of Sadashiv Amrapurkar scene), and another to ‘Mahanagar’ (working wife and daily memorabilia for child), and a pet-animal Purandar keeps reminded me of a couple more short-stories of Ray. (Fascination with abnormal/surreal animals/plants is a recurring motif in Ray’s stories for children.)
Keeping it spoiler-free so can’t write much more. Just enough to say that DB’s ‘Star’ alone is worth the price of admission for Bombay Talkies. (While K-Jo’s film too is as good as they come.) Nawaz+Dibakar+Satyajit Ray – and the sum is greater than the parts!
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भारत के मां, बाप, बेटे, बेटियों, शिक्षकों, छात्रों को एक खुली चिट्ठी
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 